Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

Job Purpose   

To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers and Know your Onions in Barking and Dagenham, and assist with other food education projects

Background to School Food Matters

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools. Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy.

Young Marketeers These much-loved programmes were started in London in 2012.  The programmes provide a hands-on opportunity for children from 8 primary schools and 2 secondaries to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at Barking Market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives.  Children learn the art of growing veg from seed from a local gardener, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall.

Key Tasks include:

• Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project
• Build and support relationships with contacts in partner organisations

Young Marketeers:

•  Schedule and organise two gardening sessions at each school
• Schedule and deliver one market trader training session in each school
• Organise and attend the Market Day in July

Know your Onions:

• Schedule and organize: 
  • One gardening session at each school
  • One visit to Dagenham Farm for each school
  • One cooking session at each school

The Market Day in July

• Maintain accurate records relating to the programme 
• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Support the food education team with other school projects
• Keep Development Manager fully updated on progress
• Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures
•  Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

Essential  

• Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail  
• Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email  
• Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals 
• Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children
• Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed  
• Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude    

Desirable  

• Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation   
• Experience of food growing in schools

Application information

Applying for this job Once you have thoroughly read this job description and had a careful look at our website including our charter, please complete the application form here. 

The electronic form can be saved but you may also find it helpful to use the word document here as a template.  Please could you also tell us how this freelance role will fit with your other work commitments.

Please apply as soon as possible, as we are keen to recruit quickly.

Please note: School Food Matters is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment. If you are offered employment, you will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service record check.

School Food Matters is a London Living Wage employer and is committed to creating an inclusive work environment, where our team members are supported in expressing themselves and delivering their best work. So, however you identify and whatever background you bring with you, please apply if the role is one that would make you excited about coming into work every day.

School Food Matters is only able to employ people who are entitled to work in the UK and cannot assist with work permit or immigration issues. We are unable to help find accommodation in London.  

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs